No. 13 BYU hosts No. 9 Grand Canyon in MPSF opener this weekend

No. 13 BYU hosts No. 9 Grand Canyon in MPSF opener this weekendNo. 13 BYU hosts No. 9 Grand Canyon in MPSF opener this weekend

PROVO, Utah — Returning to Provo after two road matches last weekend, No. 13 BYU men’s volleyball will host its first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matchup of the season against No. 9 Grand Canyon for two matches in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Feb. 25 and Saturday, Feb. 26. 

The history between the Cougars and the Antelopes dates back to 2010. BYU leads the all-time series 9-2.

No. 13 Brigham Young University Cougars (5-7, 0-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)

  • Last weekend, BYU faced UC Santa Barbara on the road. UCSB walked away with two victories (3-0, 3-1). The losses extended BYU’s losing streak to five straight matches. 
  • Senior outside hitter Davide Gardini led the way offensively last weekend, putting up a season-high 25 kills on Saturday. 
  • Nationally, BYU ranks No. 18 nationally in assists per set (11.27), No. 18 in team attacks per set (26.53), No. 20 in blocks per set (2.051), No. 20 in hitting percentage (.278) and No. 20 in kills per set (11.90).
  • Gardini ranks No. 15 in the NCAA in kills per set (3.59), No. 20 in attacks per set (8.00) and No. 20 in points per set (4.26).
  • Out of BYU’s 12 matches this season, head coach Shawn Olmstead has had 10 different starting lineups, as the Cougars continue to rebuild after losing five starters from last season.
  • The Cougars finished the 2021 season with a 20-4 record, its eighth MPSF conference championship title, a trip to the NCAA national championship game and a No. 2 national ranking.

No. 9 Grand Canyon University Antelopes (7-6, 1-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)

  • Last weekend, GCU faced its first conference opponent, Pepperdine. On Friday, the Antelopes suffered a 3-1 loss to the Waves, but made a comeback on Sunday with a 3-1 victory.
  • On Monday, Off the Block Preseason All-America First Team outside hitter Camden Gianni earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 38 total kills and a .456 hitting percentage against Pepperdine.
  • Coming into the 2022 season, GCU received a No. 9 pre-season ranking in the AVCA. It's the team’s highest preseason ranking in program history.
  • Redshirt sophomore Gianni ranks No. 5 in the NCAA in attacks per set (8.84), No. 5 in points per set (4.90), No. 6 in aces per set (.600) and No. 8 in kills per set (3.94).
  • Redshirt junior libero Cole Udall ranks No. 7 in the NCAA in digs per set (2.34).
  • In the NCAA, the Antelopes rank No. 3 in team attacks per set (27.84), No. 9 in digs per set (9.18), No. 10 in kills per set (12.32), No. 11 in blocks per set (2.370), No. 15 in hitting percentage (.289) and No. 16 in assists per set (11.30).

BROADCAST INFORMATION – Feb. 25

BROADCAST INFORMATION – Feb. 26